Mileage-period-indicating odometer



Xi* H EAG RIO A 5 K1 La E14-5U May 21, 1929. A C, WQQD 1,714,288

MILEAGE PERIOD INDICATING ODOMETER Original Filed Sept. 5. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l :Il: 1 l

May 2l", 1929. A. c. WOQD MILEAGE PERIOD INDICATING' ODOMETER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Sept. 5. 1922 Jh yenz'af mss May 2l, 1929. A. c. woon l 1,714,288

MILEAGE PERIOD INDICATING ODOMETER me f E. -1|1i1m1 l. ff!

EL mil HIL '4 ltlll. EL 1 Hulnm 772. .7/6 72752." dij/5&7 I. ind/29a Patented May 21, A1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW C. WOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STEWART-WARNER `SPEED- OMETER CORPORATION, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F VIRGINIA.

MILEAGE-PERIOD-INDICATING ODOME'IER.

Original application led September 5, 1922, Serial No. 586,055.` Divided and this application led July 21, 1927.

This application is a. division of my pending application Serial No. 586,055 filed September 5, 1922, now Patentl No. 1,658,069, dated February 7, 1928. 1

Thepurpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction in the nature of an odometer operated mileage period indicating or signaling device, particularly adapted for` indicating to the driver of the vehicle under the control of theodometer the expiration of the intervals suitable to elapse between various attentions to the vehicle or its appurtenances with the further specific purpose of adapting such mileage period signaling device to be reset at any time or to any degree by the odometer' resetting shaft o1' stem. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front or face view of acombined odometer and speedometerr equipped with this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same on alarger scale with the face plate partly broken away disclosing the interior mechanism, the same being shown in section at the plane of the axis of the odometer train and the reset shaft, t-he latter being turned 90 degrees from the position shown in Figure 1;. Figure 3 is a section at the line, 3-3, on Fivure 2.

Figure 4 is a section at the line, '1i- 4, on Figure 2 with a certain vgear at the position at which it is shown in dotted line in Figure 2. l Y y Figure 5 is a section at the line, 5-5, on Fiure 2.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are detail sectionstransversely of the mileage period indicator' shaft and transfer shaft atthe three zones respectively of the Geneva stop movement employed for the transfer or carrying one revolution in ve from the first to the second rotary element of the mileage period indicator.

Figure 9 is a view of a fragment of theY serial No. 207,395. f

drums with their coveringstripsbearing the markings stripped off, enabling all the markings to-be read, said markings being of a special form in lieu of mileage numerals.

The distinctive element of the present invention consists in the mileage period indicator, as to form and mechanism, independently of its connection with the odometer train for `operation thereby. This indicator will be first described. It consists of a drum, L, whlch is carried for rotation by a shaft, Z, for which journal bearings are provided in a lug, X1, projecting from a standard, X", and bracket, X, projecting direct-ly from the web of the frame, X, which constitutes the mount which carries both' the odometer andv train. The periphery of the drum is subdivided in mileage zones,-as'shown ivein number-,-each ofsaid zones being subdivided into five segments, being half the number ,of teeth of the gear, M, it being understood that the carrying pinion rotates two teeth distance ateach step. The segments of the first Zone carry the numerals, 0, 10.0, 200, 300 and 400. Thenext zone carries kthe numerals', 500 to 900,'inclusive. The third Zone carries miles travel indicated by the odometer' main the numerals, 1000 to 1400, inclusive andthe y i fourthzone carries the'nu'merals, 1500 to 1900, and the fifth zone 2000 to 2400. Understanding that the numeral 0 on the first indication to appear after kthe highest nu.- meral on the fourth Zone which is 1900, it will be seen that this zoned drum is wadapted-to call the drivers attention at the, end of every 100 miles travel of the vehicle, provided he is in any manner advised to what service, attention or care-taking functions, respectively, the several mileage numerals as they successively appear relate or are intended torcallV to attention. To this cylinder -there is added,

co-axial therewith, a shortercylinder ycon-V taining asingle zone divided-into as many segments as there are Zones on the mileageindicating drum, in the present instance, therefore, five, which are numbered respectively, l, 2, 3, 4; and 5, This Zone-- number dial or drum indicated by the letter U, is connected for operation by the shaft ol' the mileage indicating drum by any convenient speed reducing means, such as a familiar decimahcarrying means of odometer trains, only that instead of reducing speed vdecimally, the intermeshing gear elements of the familiar Geneva stop movement type are toothed for transmitting one-fifth of the revolution to the zone memberI dial, U, for each full revolution of the mileage period drum L. This may be accomplished most conveniently by utilizing the carrying pinion shaft of the odometer train for journaling the threezone carrying or transfer pinion, T1, T2, T3, of "he mileage period indicating device which for the purpose of carrying at the ratio stated has its mutilated Zones, T1 and T2, co-operating with the zones of the mutilated gear, U1, U2, on the shaft, Z, and its complete-toothed` zone, T3, meshing With the complete gear element, U3, on the number dial wheel, U.

Y As may be understood from the hereinafter containedlimited description of the odometer trains, a certain position ofthe trip train shaft for which the resetting devices make provision positions a gear, D, thereon in mesh with the gear, K1, which is fast on the shaft, Z, of the mileage period signaling device, and out of mesh `With a pinion member, V1, which constitutes the connection of said driving gear, D, With the driving means-in-common of the main and trip odometer trains; and at that position of said shaft, B, it is out of driving connection With the trip train.

Allthe graduated members of the drum, L, have feathered engagement with the shaft, Z, for rotation therewith, with freedom for sliding thereon. This is for the purpose of providing frictional drive from the gear, M, to the drum members, said gear, M, being interposed on the shaft, Z, between two of the graduated drum members and held frictionally between them by means of a spring spider Washer, S, which held on the left hand end ofthe shaft, Z, by a suitable nut, s, its three spider fingers pressing against the outer surface of the left hand drum member.

It may be understood, therefore, Without givin@ consideration to the detail construction or the odometer trains that it possible, o

by rotating the shaft, Z), for which provision is made in the odometer reset devices, as herei inafter described, to rotate the drum shaft of the mileage period indicator and thereby to rotate all the drum members thereon regardless of the fact that they are mounted and connected for being driven by gear connection With the odometer train and remain thus connected during the period of resetting of the mileage period indicator Which. is accomadvising the driver Which of the zones of the zoned drum is to be referred to for the Warning which is due.

A chart informing the driver Which attention is due at each of the mileages indicated by the appearance of the several mileage numerals at the reading slot, enables him to select and. interpret the proper Warning in each instance.

The desirable marking of the several Zones and corresponding markings of the several segments of the Zone number dial, U, is by' color, each zone being of different ground color,v and the corresponding segments of the dial, U, being respectively of the same ground color; or the numerals on theseveral Zones,

respectively, may b'e of differentf color, the numerals of the dial, U, corresponding to the I respective Zones being of the same colors. These two color methods are shown respectively in Figures 9 and l0.

lt may be found convenient to apply job numbers or letters to the several duties calling loo for attention at different mileage intervals, A

and to employ these job numbers or letters on the mileage period indicating drum instead of the nume 'als denoting the mileages as such. The markings of a drum in this manner instead of With the mileage numerals is shown in Figure 1l, which may be understood as representing a drum having the markings made upon paper or fabric strips Wrapped about the drum andshoivn in said 'figure unrolled or stripped from the vdrum so that all the markings may now be read. The particular schedule according to which this drum is A marked is as follows: 1 l.

at 200 miles intervals;

Job No. 1.-Any duty requiring'attention .115

Job Na-Any lduty requiring attention Y at 300 miles intervals; .lob No. 3.Any duty requiring attentionY Y at 400 miles intervals; Job Neer-AnyV duty requiring attention at 500 miles intervals; Job No. 5.-Any duty requiring attention at 1,000 miles intervals; Job No. 6.-Any duty requiring attention at 2,000 miles intervals.

For co-opcrating` with the mileage period indicator as above mentioned, the odometer mechanism comprises a main tram comprising the dials of group A at the left hand'of Figure 2 and the dials of the group B at the right hand of said figure, mounted, as is most customary upon an axial shaft-in-common of whichthe member, b, extends through the Vtrain this shaft carries rigidly the gear, D,

above mentioned, and at its extent through the initial dial, B1, of the trip train it is engaged with said dial by means of the pin, b5, projecting from the body of said dial wheel into a longitudinal groove, o6, in said shaft, b, so that in the normal position of the shaft, b, at which, as may be understood without particular description, it is operatively connected by means of the gear, D, with the in-leading power shaft,`it serves for driving said initial dial kwheel of the trip train, and thereby, through the carrying pinions in the usual manner, the succeeding dials of that train. As above mentioned the hundreds-carrying pinion, T, of the odometer main train is meshed with the gear, M, of the mileage period indicator. At said normal position of t-he shaft, b, and gear, D, thereon, said gear,

D, constitutes means of connecting the shaft, b, with the in-leading power shaft, said connection being completed by the two-membered pinion, V1, on the counter-shaft, o, the member, V1, being engaged with the gear, D, and the member, V2, with the gear member, y2, carried rigidly by the spiral gear, y1, which is directly meshed with the s iral gear, y, on the'in-leading power shaft, It may be understoodtherefore, that longitudinal in-thrust of' the shaft, b, carryingpthe gear, D, out of mesh with the pinion, V1 disconnects the odometer trip train from the driving power. The shaft, b, vhas at a point a short distance to the right ofthe position of the pin, b5, at the normal position of the shaft,

l), a circumferential groove, 67. The amount of movement of the shaft, b, which merely takes the gear, D, out of mesh with the pinion, V1, does not bring the groove, 57, to the pin, b5, but leaves that pin still engaged in rotation of that shaft, brings thel circumferj ential groove. o7, into registration withthe pin, b5, so that theshaft, b, loses its driving connection with the trip train. This further in-thrust of the shaft, b, brings the gear, D, into mesh with the gear, K1, of the mileage period indicator so that means 'provided for manually rotating the shaft, b, will serve for resetting the indicator drums without any operation of the trip train, in view of the fact that said mileage period indicator is operated fory the normal rotation of its parts by the frictional connection described between the gear, M, and thedrum members so that the latter are operated by the driving engagement described with the gear, K1, quite independently of the engagement through the gear, M, with the odometer main train.

' I claimzl. In combination with an odometer dial train, a mileage period indicating device consisting of a rotor having at each of a pluralityof zones a progressive series of numerical mileage markings, each of said series covering the same mileage range and being numerically successive so as to constitute,

taken together in their order a single series of mileages from thelowest number on the first to the highest number on the last series, said device comprising also a rotor having a zone containing a series of distinctive markings corresponding to and adapted to indi-A cate the zones of the first rotor.

2. In the construction defined in claim l, i

foregoing, said zones, except the last mentioned, being distinguished from each other in respect to surface appearance, and otherwise than by position, and the distinctive markings on the last mentioned rotor being in correspondence respectively with the said distinctive surface appearance of the zones of the first rotor.

3, In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, said zones of the first mentioned rotor beingv distinguished .from each other in color, the distinctive markings on the last mentioned'rotor being identified respectively with the respective zones of the first rotor by correspondence of said markingsin color to said zones-respectively.

4. In'combination withan odometer dial train, a mileage period indicating device consisting of a rotor Vhaving at each of a plurality of circum-axial zones a progressive series of numeral mileage markings, all said series covering the ysame mileage range and being numerically successive so as to constitute, i

taken together in their order, a single progressive series of'mileage from the lowest number inthe first to the highest number in the last series, the corresponding numerals in the several series being aligned transversely of said zones, a second rotor having a circum-axial series of markings for indicat- Ving the zones respectively, of the first rotor and'means for rotating the second rotor from marking to marking thereof as the first rotor makes successiverevolutions. i i

5. In combination With an odometer dial train, a mileage period indicating device consisting of a rotor having at each of a plurality of zones a. progressive series of numerical mileage markings, each of said series covering the same mileage range and being numerically successive so as to constitute, taken together in their order a single series of mileages from the lowest number onthe first to the highest number on the last series, said device comprising also a rotor having a zone l5 containing a series of distinctive markings of July, 1927. i

ANDREW C. WOOD. 

